OCR Text |
Show s-~ro r673; i../'"'v""V !=kap. VI. 'Alb. t 0o34t 3S• 1tont.2. 13, J,, 1~, l6o The Chriftian-Quaker and bi& VoL. J. they eanie to the Knowledge of this '(ruth from the Manifrflarion of God (who il Li~ht) mirbin, fince the Apollle fays, what mrgbr h< known of God ouu mani/ejted in them, brc•ufe God bad j/Bewed rt ,auo them. (6.) That the Caufe of their after Darknef~ y.ras their Rebelling againft that Manifeftation or Light, not glorifying the God that fhewed it to them, when they both faw ir, and knew ~twas. He that fhewed them: Confequently, that God had given them Light Suffidenr, hotft to know and obey him. And fince they liked not to retain God in their Knowledge, the Deficiency was Theirs, and not the Light's. (7.) If therefore theit foolifh Hearts were darkned, that i!t, by D1fobedienco,· it follows, rlfat Darknefs t::Jme by Sin into their Hearts; and that they had Light in their Hearts, or a Light within, to know their Duty and Square their Lives by. (8.) La!lly, If the Wrath was · therefore revealed, bccaufe .they keld the Truth in UnJighteoufnefs; and when they knew God by tbe A1anifeflation of Light witb.o in, they glorified him not tU God, but became vain in their ImaginatioBs, and their foolifh Hearts were darkned; Then certainly, had they kept to that inlightcning Principle, we call Truth, and the Manifefiation of God_ within, and fo preferv .. d their Faith in God, as he had re\real'd bimfelf to them, glorifying him as God, and Delighting to retain him in their Knomledge, not Wrath, but Mercy and Peace had been revealed from Heaven; as faith the fam·t Apoftle in his following Chapter, to them, 'lfho by Patient Cominu8nce in We/J-JoingJeekfor Glory,and Honour, tmd lmmortality,Eternal Life. In fhort, This we may fafely conclude, that the Righteoufnefs reveal'& in the Gofpel of Chtift (of wh,ich Paul was not afhamed) from Faith to Faith, by which Faith, he tcfiifies the Juft Ancicnss Lived, Cit were accept .. ed, is one in Nature, though no.t in Degree :with that Truth the Gtt~tilt& Apoftatized from, and therefore are faid so :Llave lind without Faith, Righteoufnefs, or God in the World; for whith the Wrath was revealed: Whereas, had they lived up unto it, glorifying God,. tU God, according to the Manifdlation of himfelf in their Hearts and Confciences, they would: have had, not the Revelation of Wrath, but of the Riglueoufnefs of Faith, by wbicb the Juft in all Ages have liv'd acceptably with God: For without :faith no Man can pleafe God, in any Age; as without Holinefs (that fl.ow:1 from true Faith) no Manfoall ever fel the Lo1d. VII. And Laftly, l do earneftly intreat the unprejudic'd Reader, to ob' ferve thefe two notable Pafi'ages, which, with my Confideration of them, 1ha1l conclude the Scripture-Proofs I have urg'd for the Univerfality of th Light, and Spitit of God, Antecedent to Chrift's Appearance in the Flelh.· , Then Peter opened his Mouth, ami faid. Of a Truth, I perceive that God U n11 Refpefler of PerJons, hut in every Nation, He that fearerh him, ancl worketh R~t:httoufnefs is accepted with him. For not the Henrers of the L•w are ]uft before God, but the Doen of the Law foaU he ju{li}ied: For wben the Gentiles wbicb have not the LarD, Jo by }lature the Things contained in tbe Law, tbife b'-ving 1t(Jt the Law, are a Law unto ther:nfelves, wbith Jhew the TVork of tbe Law written in thrir Hearts; their Omftienu.r c~ljtJ hearing ll'itnifs, and their Thoughtt the mean while Accufing or elfe Excufing one another, in the Day 'lfhtn God .foaU iudge the Surtts of 111en by Jefm Chrijl, according to my Gofptl. Thefe Scriptures are a fevere Check to all undervaluing Apprehenfion~ of the bleffed Light of God in Man, and this appears in feveral farticuIars. J. That GQd is no Refpeaer of Perfons in any Nation: From whence I ~nclude, that .AR Perfons 11ntl Nations were ;md are lighted, as well Gentilu as Jews. 2. That here are Men (not of the Circnmtifion made witlr I;bnds) who fear God, work Righteoufne!S, and arc Doers of the I.aw, not fiom the Obligation of an Outward l.aw.- for they had none, but the I.11ward Wor..t of t~t La~wrirup011 their Hearu; which is a Demonlhation, that t::X . VoL. I. Teftimony Stated allli Vindicated • hild not oiily the Light a~ a Reprover, b~t as a Teacher and Leader, where= by they came to fear God, and work Rtghteoufnefs: Which is erfewhere faid to be the Conclujion cf the Matur, and Wbo/e Duty of Mttn. Since then no Man .that fears God, ~nd works Righceoufn.efs. and keeps the pure Law of. God m the Heart, whtch. the Scriptures t.eit.ifie fome Ge,aile.r did, cao he fa1d to do fo, and yet be VOid of the True L1ght, that Obje8:ion of the, Heathen's Ignorance of the Tru.e qod, and that none bv the Light Within was ever Reprove~ for nor hehevmg Jcfus to be Chrift, vanifheth of Courfe. For fuch as hved up rna~ ftnce~ely te .the Lord in their own Confciences, acknowledged, itloft readtly, that glonous Appearance of Light when in the Flefh. T.hey were the .g:eat Pre.tenders tp Scrip~ures that would not come to C1mft: ';fhe T!admonal, Lneral, and Ordmance·Men, who 3lfn rejeaed and cructfied htm. On the other Hand, had not Corne/im and the Centurion with many orhers1 been Upright Liverz to the Ligbt wit bin neither had Pfttr been fo recerved by the one, nor Cbrift fo follow'd by th~ other : But that Meafure of the Difine Li!;ht, which they had hitheho obey'd, as the 111ore f~tr~ Word o.( Prophecy. l~d them ~atur~11y unto the Rifing of the Day· S~ar, whtc~, .tho a ~ore glonous Mamfeftanon, yet not of another Light; Ltfe, or Spun, for there ~re n?t TnJo Li'ght.r, Lifes, Natures or Spirits in Go~: He lS One for C\'Cf ln Jitmfelf, and his Light One in kind, however vanoufiy he m~y have ~eclar'd ~imfdf,. or manifefted it at fundry Times of the World : Hts Truth ts o~e, h1s Wa.ftS .one, and his Reft one for ever. But laft of al~ that whtch greatly re;oyces Good Men is this that the Narrownefs of fame Men's Spirits in this World will not be fou~d able to exclude Virtuorn Gentiles f~om their Reward in :he other: But maugre all the Heat, Petulancy, Contettednefs, and Flefbly Boafiing of Carnal Chrifiian~, Ju~h tU Jcar God, and work RigbteouJnefs, attd are Doers of tb-e Law Ylr1ttcn tn the Heart; ~e a.re afi'ured. fball be Accepted and Juftified of God, tn the Day that he Wlll]udge the Secrets of all Men by ftfm Cbrij!, accordmg to Paufs Gofpel : And 1f any Man bring another, let it he accurft.· .Amen. I67J. 1./"V'"'....J Chap. VI. Ecclcf. t2o131 '4· . I have here, on purpofe, overloo~~ rn::tny very pregnant Infiances, both m. the Old and New Tefia?lent-Wrn~ngs, for Brevities Sake, in which the Rtghteou.(nefs of the Gentzks hath, 1n kveral Cafes, more evidently ap"' pcared, than that of fome of the Jews, and which undeniably teftifies to G · the Sufficiency. of the Li~ht Within, both to manifeft that which was Good, an~";;~;:: from .that wh1ch was Evrl, and alfo to give Ability to fuch as truly minded 2 Chron. 36. it's lllumina~ion, whereby they were enabled to do the one, and to rejeCt 23. Ezra 1, 2' the other. Such were .A.bimelecb, CyNH, Darim, the Ruler thar came to 3, 4.~.and 6• Chrift,. and many others! whi~h I (ball omit to mention more particularly; Sa~~·,. 26, the Ch1efBent of my Mmd betng to demonftrate the Truth of my A!fertion •7· from their own Writings. ~ut, 9· ,s~ C H A I'. VII• Chap. VII. 'rhat ~be qeii~iles _Be/ieved' in On_e _ G~d. That He inlightened AU Men wirb ~ :n ~~~~;t~~~mp~~t ~h/:C:~~~i:dlfe~t~:o]j~:h~ 1h~ JiJr;~;:~ov~h~ ~~~~ Tcl\unoma HAving prov'd brielly, tho'! hope fully ahd tr_uly, fr?m the Scriptures! that the Gent1/es m General were L1ghted wuh a Dtvine Light, I {hal flow make it my Bufinefs to evidence the Truth thereof, by moft undeniable Inftances, out of their own Writings. And becaufe I am wiJJing my Defence both of the Light within, and Thofc of them who obey'd ir, fhouid ~urn to the dcareft a nil beft Account, I will endeavour to refolve the Whole ·~~~~a~taln a Method, a• rhe Maner, and their Way of delivering it will Fir ]I, |